Given that the youngest child was only 2, it's also possible that this woman suffered from some kind of post-partum psychological disorder (depression, anxiety, even psychosis) that went untreated and/or spiralled way out of control. If so, the fact that the children were autistic and presumably required a level of care that even a healthy mother would struggle with certainly wouldn't have helped matters.
In any case, a truly heart-wrenching story.
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